When I was an undergrad at Fresno State in the early 90s, there was a liquor store across the street that claimed to have the world’s largest Coors Light display. There stacks and stacks of silver 12-pack boxes, complete with a “river” running through the middle and little rubber duckies floating in the “pond” at the end closest to the front door. Although I was operating on a college student’s budget, which meant that Coors Light was out of my price range (you could get a 12-pack of Natural Light for $4.99 at Bulldog Liquor on the other end of campus), I still liked to stroll over and marvel at the duckies from time to time.

That pretty well defines Fresno. Little novelties like store displays are magnified in their spectacle because there’s not much else to see. Unless you’re brave enough to roll down to Blackstone to look at the hookers and gang-bangers or down to throw on a white sheet and chill with the Klan in neighboring Clovis, there’s really only one “big” thing upon which to focus – Fresno State Bulldog sports.

Three hours north of LA and about the same distance south of the Bay Area, the Bulldogs are quite literally the only game in town. Having worked for the athletic department while I was a student there (I was the sports information douchebag for the cross-country, volleyball and synchronized underwater basket-weaving teams), I was required to attend all football games and it constantly surprised me that only about 10% of the crowd was students. The rest were Fresno people. Fresnites. Fresnans. Fresnoccinos.

I graduated from Fresno State in 1993 and I’ve never been back. I don’t know how the city has grown in the last 15 years, but my educated guess is that world-renowned Coors Light display took a major hit last night. There have been quite a few Bulldog alumni who have made names for themselves in professional sports – including Trent Dilfer, the worst quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl, and David Carr, the worst quarterback ever to be the first pick in the NFL draft – the university had never won a national championship in a men’s sport. Until last night.

I’ve never made a secret of the fact that I hated Fresno and was disappointed in the quality of education I got there. It was a lonely time in my life and a period when I felt lost, alone and very unsure of myself. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the experience more if wasn't struggling so much with my own self-worth. But I met some cool people in that shithole and I still have some fond memories. A lot of those times crossed my consciousness during the past week as I’ve watched the Bulldogs nut up time after time to beat teams they had no business beating.

I thought about Graves Hall and intramural basketball and the time I went to a meeting of the Fresno State Hillel group (collegiate Jewish organization) because I told my mom I would (I was the only one there).

I thought about smoking pot in my dorm room, my radio show on KFSR and destroying my friends on the Foosball table in the student union.

I thought about seeing Crosby, Stills and Nash at the Big Fresno Fair, about the sprinter I lusted for on the women’s track team, about the time my friends took me to the Hanford/Lemoore high school basketball game in the Fresno suburbs.

Honestly, I was a little surprised by how emotional I got last night when it became clear that they were going to win the College World Series.

But that may have just been the Coors Light talking.

Photo: Getty Images

Comments

I saw that sign last night (FresYES) on TV and literally gagged! I thought the "under dogs to wonder dogs" was more clever. And although I am not an alumni, I grew up in a small town south of Fresno, so I too took some pride in watching that win last night

I told my husband, "I'll be the headlines will be huge in the Fresno Bee tomorrow" and he was all, "The Fresno what?" Yep. The hometown newspaper is called the "Bee"... it doesn't get any more small town than that!

Go Bulldogs!

I think "FresYUH-HUH" has a nice ring to it, too :) Congrats on getting to be proud of your alma mater (or perhaps I mean congrats on being able to afford Coors Light now.)

Wow, you're making Lansing, Michigan look pretty darn happenin'.

The only thing I gained from my college experience was student loan debt.

I was quite surprised by it as well. Frankly, I think it's weird, you're weird.

You really should come back. It's grown tremendously in the last ten or so years. We have real restaurants, shopping, freeways, and entertainment. We also have more than one game in town now... with the addition of the Fresno Grizzlies, and the Savemart Center (we even get the main concerts like Hannah MOntanna and Carrie Underwood). In 1994 when my folks moved here, my mom couldn't have been more depressed about living in the one place she swore she never would. But now, she'll never leave. It's still hot as hell here though.

Congratulations! And I mean that even as a Georgia alum. Even though the announcers were acting like they were going to go on the field and jack Fresno State off after they won, atleast it was the right mascot. And don't feel bad, Athens is an awesome college town and all we did was drink and go to sporting events.

i really hope this link works so that we can all enjoy the fresno skullet together: http://images.sportsline.com/u/ap/photos/CWS106062321_1024x768.jpg

I've never much cared for Fresno State. When I was in school at Auburn they came to play us for a football season opener, talking trash about showing the SEC how to play and all that. On the opening kickoff some 400-pound lineman decked our kicker, fell on him and proceeded to beat the snot out of him for the duration of the kick return. He was ejected, and we went on to beat them 62-0. I guess his attempts to fire the team up failed.

Congrats on the win! And thank God for it, now I won't have to listen to my out-laws gloat (they live in Athens, GA and are OBnoxious uga fans, like there are any other kind, no offense Mary).

See! Look how far you've come... from Natural Light to Coors Light... not to make light of the situation or anything.

Why is it that so many of us spent what was supposed to be "the best years of our lives" depressed and insecure? Congratulation on the win. Here in the Motor City, budget beer was Mickey's and the good stuff was Stroh's Signature. Of COURSE, Mickey's is the one that's still around.

One of the most exciting college world series ever!!! Go Fresno. We wanted Irvine to win last year but Oregon was ok. We are allalso huge fans of Fullerton. My kids now insist on Fresno state t-shirts.

We have watched the last 6-7 years all day/eveing long. College ball is the purest form on baseball.

Congrat!

I went to Wayne State University in Detroit and I doubt that will ever win a national championship at sports. But, I agree with Mary, we spend the best years of our lives, depressed and insecure.

Ah, Coors Light. I used to brush my teeth with the stuff in college.

My parents moved from gorgeous Coarsegold, Calif., to Fresno last year and I was all "Eew -- Raisin Capital of the World?" But we visited them this past March and all I can say is there's been plenty o' change to the Fresno I remembered from 1970. There are some really pretty parts of the city. Everything was blossoming. We found some cool restaurants. Took some lovely walks in some very pretty parks. I was surprised. We didn't go anywhere near Fresno State -- could be that part of the city is still the pits.

I grew up in Bakersfield.

We looked up to Fresno.

How sad is that?

Lots of change in Fresno going on.

Rocker Sammy Hagar has decided Fresno is worthy of his 3rd Cabo Wabo Bar location (the others are in Cabo and Lake Tahoe). The opening is later this month about a mile south of Fresno State.
http://www.van-halen.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8451

My daughter's major was offered at Fresno State...she was also accepted to Cal Poly SLO, UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz. One dreary morning we drove 3 hours out to the armpit of the world, where the Arco station was just held up and part of campus was closed. After touring the campus, I offered to $$pay$$ her to go to Cal Poly and even stoop to her becoming a Banana Slug...but I wasn't driving out HERE to visit her.- I mean, I was rooting for the Bulldog's baseball team to win and all...but no kid of mine was going to school there!

Congratulations,

It is wonderful to see the Under Dawg win. Can't believe they knocked off an SEC team. I heard it was really good baseball.

Fun to hear about your liquor store reference. We got to drive thru one last weekend. No kiddin. I rode past it for 2 years just wondering. Then last weekend I made the turn in. Only in Missouri.

Congrats to your baseball team.

Congrats on the win!

Congrats on the win! Everyone likes to feel connected to champions. I've never been back to my college campus since 1995 either (UCONN), mostly because I hate the cold weather and it's in the middle of nowhere. I felt proud as hell though when they won several national basketball championships, but like you said, it could have been the Ultra (Coors).

I went to Ohio State. We get shots at national championships ALL the time. It's that winning part we have trouble with.

I was born in Merced, lived a short while in Chowchilla, then moved to Fresno. It was a big fancy city compared to the others. I was in 5th grade. Little did I know...Fancy, wha, huh?

My college experience was nothing more than a couple of years of pretending I wanted to be there... only to have my heart broken by who I thought was the love of my life at the time... and then as a result failing every class... and eventually just quitting all together to become a full time waitress at a sports bar. I think I gained more life skills working as a waitress than I did in the two years of college I took.

By the way, Natty was all I could afford back then too.